A huge debt of gratitude

I first used Pets in Practise just over a year ago, when we needed to obtain high quality 'reward based' puppy training for the new addition to our family - Bo.

Bo is a Northern Inuit cross, whose role in our lives was primarily as a companion to our 5 year old son, Josh. Josh had been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome 6 months previously, and we had heard that dogs make very good companions for children on the autism spectrum. Indeed, we discovered that Dogs for the Disabled run a course for parents of autistic children called PAWS where training is given to enable you to train your own dog to provide autism assistance to your child. This can be anything ranging from providing road safety (dog wears a harness which child holds on to to prevent child running off) to intervention when the child is having a meltdown (dog nudges child on shoulder to break the behaviour). The dog also provides an easy way for the child to communicate, express and understand emotion, and acts as a link to the outside world and other people. Bo's work was therefore cut out for her!!

Given the very important task that lay ahead for Bo, it was imperative that she obtained some first class basic training. Given Bo's size (she is very big!) and the work we needed her to do, it was essential that Bo become well mannered, obedient and reliable. Above all, we wanted Bo to be happy, fulfilled, and a loving member of our family. We knew this wouldn't be easy given her breeding, so we needed a trainer who we felt confident could help us achieve this in a positive, fun environment.

Bo has attended both the Pets in Practise Kennel Club Puppy Foundation course and the Puppy Improvers course, and we have regular one to one sessions with Kris Glover to address some issues we are having. Bo tends to get over-excited with other dogs which effects her recall and lead work. This was a huge problem for us given the important task that Bo is to perform, and was often quite distressing for me as I felt her jumping up posed a risk to Josh.

At all times I have found everyone at Pets in Practise to be professional, knowledgeable, and sensitive to my needs and the needs of Bo. Their classes are well run, fun, informative and will adapt to the needs of each dog (for instance ensuring Bo had extra space or a separate room to practise). Importantly, the dogs seemed to have as much fun as their owners! The improvement in Bo's behaviour since we enlisted the help of Pets in Practise is huge. We still have some work to do, but there were times where I didn't think she would get any better. With the help of Pets in Practise, and in particular Kris, we now have a wonderful dog who is a joy to own. She is amazingly well behaved at home, and her behaviour outside the home and with other dogs is coming on leaps and bounds. I feel utterly confident that with Kris's help Bo will be able to fulfil her very important task.

I owe Pets in Practise and Kris a huge debt of gratitude as they have allowed us to work with Bo (and I stress the word 'with') to help her to become a happy, content and positive member of our family. Her importance to Josh can not be underestimated. He does not show affection to anyone (not even me!), but he regularly showers Bo with hugs and kisses. She is his best friend and with the help of Pets in Practise I hope that she will be able to make a huge difference to Josh's life.

Katie Harris, Bo and Josh, Burghfield, Reading

Last Updated on Friday, 08 February 2013 14:15

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The ideal pet trainer

At Sunninghill Veterinary Centre we like to ensure a pet’s general well-being is good. This means not only diagnosing and treating illness, but making sure a pet fits in well with their human family and enjoys their daily activities. In Kris we have found the ideal pet trainer and behaviourist. She is sympathetic and understanding of an owner’s needs, whilst having great empathy with the pets. Many of our clients have attended Kris’ training classes or had one to one behavioural assessments. Their feed-back has been really positive – of course, however good the advice and support is, it is still up to the owner to implement it!

Compassionate, gentle and very knowledgable

Ted became part of our family around 18months ago with so many problems I wouldn’t know where to begin. One of the biggest problems was taking him out for walks. He was utterly out of control. Dogs, people, children, vans, postmen, joggers, cyclists…….you get the picture. Another was welcoming guests in to the home. Nightmare.

I was recommended Kris Glover, by a local vet, as someone who could help me re train Ted and do so with compassion and kindness.

Kris arrived and demonstrated such patience, knowledge and total understanding of our situation, such complete confidence that we could help Ted that I felt absolute trust in her. Kris provided us with an extremely detailed training plan and the promise she was always on the end of a phone line or email if needed. Boy was she needed!

I always knew it was never going to be an overnight success story. Ted was a dreadful mess. Terrified of everything and, being a terrier breed, therefore highly reactive. But following Kris’ advice we now have a wonderful dog we can enjoy taking out on walks, is now very loving with those he lives with and able to cope with guests for short periods. Ted is still an anxious dog, but to my joy is now ready to join other dogs in a socialization/tolerance class. This just goes to demonstrate the huge improvement Ted has made.

The training plan, offered by Kris, complete, gives you a starting point and a number of steps to take you forward to where you wish your dog to be. Be patient, consistent, follow it and you will have joyous results. Kris is true to her word. She is ready to respond to your emails and ready to support you. This too was very important to me, just as valuable as the training plan.

Trudy Dredge with Ted from Wokingham in Berkshire

Last Updated on Sunday, 31 March 2013 08:27

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A competent and caring behaviourist

‘We recommend Kris to clients with new puppies as well as rescue dogs as a first stop to get advice on training and socialisation. We find her caring, professional and thorough approach is appreciated by all. We also refer our problem dogs to Kris, and find her thorough and practical approach is very well received. The client reports are always tailored to the individual case – with consideration of both the dog as well as the individual owners. It reflects well on our services to be able to offer referral for behaviour problems to such a competent and caring behaviourist'.

Mr Michael Morrow MRCVS - St Vincents Veterinary Surgery - Wokingham

Last Updated on Friday, 08 February 2013 14:13

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We have referred several behaviour cases to Kris

As a practice, we have referred several behaviour cases to Kris and have felt completely confident in her capability and professional knowledge. We receive full printed reports on her consultation with the client and also on the recommended treatment for the pet.

We referred our first cases to Kris based on other veterinary recommendations but had not met her. However after meeting her we were even more certain we had chosen the right behaviourist! Her enthusiasm, extensive knowledge and total commitment to her profession is so refreshing and a pleasure to encounter.

Additionally Kristina has presented two behaviour talks at our practice in the evenings for our clients, and these have been very well attended. Each talk was slightly different and Kris spent time chatting to all our clients and answering their questions. Nothing is too much trouble for Kris and we have no hesitation in recommending her. Sophie, one of our vets, also attends the puppy classes (with Gary - pup) Pets in Practice organises.

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Testimonials

I first used Pets in Practise just over a year ago, when we needed to obtain high quality 'reward based' puppy training for the new addition to our family - Bo. Bo is a Northern Inuit cross, whose role in our lives was primarily as a companion to our 5 year old son, Josh. Josh had been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome 6 months previously, and we had heard that dogs make very good companions for children on the autism spectrum. Indeed, we discovered that Dogs for the Disabled...

At Sunninghill Veterinary Centre we like to ensure a pet’s general well-being is good. This means not only diagnosing and treating illness, but making sure a pet fits in well with their human family and enjoys their daily activities. In Kris we have found the ideal pet trainer and behaviourist. She is sympathetic and understanding of an owner’s needs, whilst having great empathy with the pets. Many of our clients have attended Kris’ training classes or had one to one...

‘We recommend Kris to clients with new puppies as well as rescue dogs as a first stop to get advice on training and socialisation. We find her caring, professional and thorough approach is appreciated by all. We also refer our problem dogs to Kris, and find her thorough and practical approach is very well received. The client reports are always tailored to the individual case – with consideration of both the dog as well as the individual owners. It reflects...

Ted became part of our family around 18months ago with so many problems I wouldn’t know where to begin. One of the biggest problems was taking him out for walks. He was utterly out of control. Dogs, people, children, vans, postmen, joggers, cyclists…….you get the picture. Another was welcoming guests in to the home. Nightmare.
I was recommended Kris Glover, by a local vet, as someone who could help me re train Ted and do so with compassion and kindness.
Kris arrived...

As a practice, we have referred several behaviour cases to Kris and have felt completely confident in her capability and professional knowledge. We receive full printed reports on her consultation with the client and also on the recommended treatment for the pet.
We referred our first cases to Kris based on other veterinary recommendations but had not met her. However after meeting her we were even more certain we had chosen the right behaviourist! Her enthusiasm, extensive knowledge and total commitment...

Kris has been working with us since September 2005. In appointing Kris as our Behaviour Consultant and Puppy Class Coordinator, we chose her over and above three other well qualified candidates. We needed to trust and be comfortable with her methods, her people skills and above all, her empathy with our patients. It continues to be important that we feel confidence in referring our clients to her. We are happy to say that Kris has shown great dedication to her...

Introducing kittens to the dogs: We had previously had a cat before, and while our younger dog, Milo, had been good with our cat from a puppy, our collie cross, Podge had issues with the cat. This was a lot to do with Spider the cat being so timid and running away, which would just trigger Podge’s chase instinct and we had to keep them separated because Spider would get too stressed. We lost Spider 2 years ago and really...

Kris Glover of Pets in Practise has been our approved behavioural therapist for some time now. Kris is always enthusiastic, sympathetic and helpful. She believes in compassionate management of behavioural disorders, which suits our own philosophy. She provides an efficient service for clients and the practice, and achieves excellent results. Her communication with client and practice is first class, ensuring that we are kept fully in the loop and involved in all aspects of the management when appropriate. Kris runs...